Liquid container with detachable top



July 8, 1924.

C. S. BARON LIQUID CONTAINER WITH DETACHABLE TOP Filed March 11. 192] E LL .ISZ

Patented July 8, 1924.

V, UNITED STATES 1,500,218 PATENT-f OFFICE.

CHARLES s. BARON, or TIEFIN, 01110.

LIQUID CONTAINER WITH DETACHABLE TOP.

Application filed March ll, 1921. Serial No. 451,648.

To all whom it may-concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES S. BARON, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Tifin, in the. county of Seneca, in the State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements Liquid Containers with Detachable Tops, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing.

My present invention comprehends pitchers, jugs and containers generally for liquids. Specifically it' relates to molasses jugs, and has'for its Object the production of a container preferably made of glass, in which provision is made preferably in the shape of the container itself and in mechanism carried by the top therefor, for detachably fastening the top to the container by means which are not only positive and efiicient for holding the top in place when applied to th container, but whose movable retaining members are also located inside thecontainer, and concealed and protected thereby.

A container and top of the type just referred to, not only present an outward appearance that is pleasing and sightly, but afiord meansfor promoting theisanitary cleanliness of the utensil in respect to the facility with which the top and the container may be separated and cleaned. The means employed for uniting the top and container by my present invention have, in addition to other advantages ofutensils of its class, the particular advantage ofaffording a certain and practically complete security of union between the top and the container.

' What constitutes my invention will be hereinafter specified indetail and succinctly set forth in the appendedclaims.

In the accompanying drawing,

-Figure I is an inside view of the top of a container, equipped with my. invention, the body of the container being illustrated in cross section. 1

Figure II is a vertical section on the line IIII of Figure I.

Figure III is a vertical section on the line III-III of Figure I.

Figure IV is aview similar to Figure III showing a sli ht niodification in respect to the clip mem ers of the top which serve to fasten it to the body of the container.

Referring to the numerals onthe drawing, 1 indicates the body of containerlthat may be of any usual or preferred shape and dimensions and made of any suitable material, that at present generally in use being glass. The body 1 may be as usual, p rovided upon opposite sides, respectively, with a handleQ and aspout 3.' V a The upper edge that defines the mouth of the container body 1 is,in accordance; with my present invention, preferably made flush, 'so as to accommodate upon it aflatlying top, that is madeof two parts 4 and 5. The part 4' is designed to be fixed but detachably fastened to thelbody '1', while the part 5 is united to the part 4 asjby a usual hinge: connection 6. The part 5 is preferably provided with a thumb piece 7 for tilting the part 5 to open position against the closing resistance of a coiled spring'8. V The elements above enumerated and so far'as described above are such as are well known in the art,and maybe all, of any usual or preferred material form, construction, and relationship.

My present invention resides in means that are to some degree specific. for securing the part 4 of the top, and incidentally the part 5 thereof, to the bodyl, Y

To that end I provide upon the side of the body 1 that is adjacent .to the handle 2, a stop piece, preferably a skirtlO, that depends from the part4 of'the top, and, engaging the body 1, confines the part 4 thereon againstany tendency towards transverse movement in the direction of the spout 3. I

Cooperative with the skirt .10,.. for the purpose of fastening the part- 4 of the top to the body 1, I provide upon the part 4 within the said body one or moregand preferably two resilient yielding members 11 and 12. 1 i

The members 11 and 12, preferably consist of a pair of strong spring clips constituting resiliently spreading members terminally disposed upon the respective ends'of a resilient bar 15 and substantially at right angles-thereto, that is secured .medially, as by'rivets 16, to theundersid'e of the part'4 of the top. The members lland 12 are formed to present their entire outer or engaging surfaces in close contact with the internal surface of the container with Whose contour they conform, ,thllsdnsuring a maxiand the container.

mum area of frictional contact therewith. Both of the said members 11 and 12 are preferably contrived to constitute, in respect of the top, forward propelling members. That is to say, they functionate to effect a tendency to drive the top 15 transversely across the mouth of the container body 1 in the direction of the s out 3. This propelling tendency is resiste by the presence of a stop piece, for example the skirt 10, upon the part 4; with the effect-of contributing additional security of union between the top The propelling action just referred to is secured by locating the bar 15 in chordal disposition upon the part 4 to the rear of the transverse diameter of the top so as to present the resilient members 11 and 12 at an angle to the respective portions of the inside periphery of the container which they engage.

The feature of angularly disposed members 11 and 12, as has just been specified, is preferential only, and may be omitted if desired, within the broader purview of my invention.

Always, the essential function of the members 11 and 12 is to effect a practicably secure union between the top and the container by means of resiliently acting members each extending longitudinally within said container and having its disposition substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the container. This construction is distinguished from devices in which the top is secured by spring wing attachments secured to the underside of the to and working parallel to the plane of t e top. As contra-distinguished therefrom, my members 11 and 12, working as specified, parallel to the longitudinal axis of the container, effect a frictional engagement with the sides of the container of enlarged area, as compared with former devices, which, in many cases, will be found sufiicient in itself to hold the top and container together. To illustrate, in Figure IV, for example, I show a straight container neck 18 and sim* ple straight terminal clips, which correspond respectively to the members 11 and 12 aforesaid, but which, for the purpose of distinction, are numbered 19 and 20, respectively. The only difference between the clips 19 and 20 and the members 11 and 12 respectively, is that said clips are entirely straight and depend only upon friction to hold them in place within the neck 18. They may be also disposed with added security of union at an angleto the inside periphery of the neck, operating against a skirt 10 with holding effect, in the manner already described.

In the form of embodiment of my invention preferred, however, I use the members 11 and 12 complete, each being provided with a preferably terminal catch 21 which is adapted positively to engage a shoulder 22 that is formed on the inside of the container body, andextending outside the periphery of the mouth is accommodated, in shape and inoperative disposition, to the catch 21. When the members 11 and 12 are provided each with the catch 21 for cooperation with the shoulder 22, each of ,the members 11 and 12 with its respective catch 21, becomes a latch that is made effective by the resiliency, upon opposite sides of the medially located rivets 16, of the bar 15. Consequently, there is secured not only an expansive resiliency of the members 11 and 12, but a pulling resiliency that acts in lines parallel to the longitudinal axis of the container. The effect is positively to draw the top towards the container, and snugly to hold it in place upon the same against intrusion of dust or insects, which is the object to guard against in all devices in the class to which my invention belongs.

The shoulder 22 is shown in Figure II as a sharply defined bevel, and that is its preferred form; but a rounded effect as shown in Figure III of the shoulder 22 may be employed. In fact, the precise shape of this shoulder, even if employed, is not a material feature except in so far as itis necessary to capacitate it positively to engage the catches 21.

In operation, the top, in any form in which my invention may be embodied, is applied by inserting the members 11 and 12, or their equivalents, into the neck of the container, and gently forcing the top into place against the mouth of the container, where the resiliency of the members 11 and 12 will suffice to hold it against such separate ing strain as may be developed in ordinary use. To remove the top, as it becomes necessary to do in order to wash the parts, it is sufficient to pull upon the thumb piece 7 with sufficient force to overcome the yielding resistance of the members 11 and 12 or their equivalents, whether they be augmented by the catches 21 or not. In this connection, it may be observed that in tilting the part 5 of the top, which is done in pouring out the contents of the container 1, pressure is applied downwardly upon the thumb piece. It is necessary to pull upon the thumb piece in the opposite direction, only when it is desired to separate the. top from the container.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a container body having an open mouth substantially circular in cross section, of a top consisting of two parts hinged together, a stop piece on one of said parts adapted to engage the outside wall of the container, a resilient bar secured to the part last named in chordal. disposition to the mouth oftlie container and in the rear of the transverse diameter the opposite extremities of the thereof, and members angularly disposed towards the periphery of the container on said bar extending with spreading resiliency longitudinally into and in contact throughout their lengths with the inner wall of the container so as to Operate with propulsive force against the container and the resistance of the stop piece to secure the top to the container.

2. The combination with a container having an open mouth, a substantially cylindrical neck defining said mouth, and an outwardly flaring body, of a top consisting of two parts hinged together, one of said parts being provided with a pair of resilient spreading members angularly disposed toward the periphery of the container and extending longitudinally in the direction of the axis of the container and in contact with the inner wall of the neck thereof, a terminal catch on each of said spreading members conformable to and contacting with the shoulder formed at the juncture of the neck and flared body of the container, and a stop piece for engaging the outer wall of the container, the said stop piece being secured to the same part of the top that carries the spreading members and coacting with said members to secure the top to the container.

3. An open mouthed container body provided below its mouth-defining Wall with an internalshoulder outwardly flared from said wall and adapted for operative engagement with a latch upon a detachable top for securing said top to the container.

4:. The combination with a container body having an open mouth and provided with an internal shoulder, of a top consisting of two parts hinged together, one of said parts being provided on the outside of the container with a stop piece adapted to engage the container, and being provided within the container with a spring finger extending longitudinally into the container in contact with the inner wall thereof, the resiliency of said finger serving tourge said stop into engagement with the container and thereby to secure the top thereon, said spring finger having a catch adapted to engage said shoulder.

5. The combination with a container body having an open mouth and provided with an internal shoulder, of a top consisting of two parts hinged together, one of said parts being provided with a pair of oppositely spreading spring fingers extending longitudinally into. the container in contact with the inner wall thereof, at least one of said fingers being provided with a catch adapted to engage said shoulder.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES S. BARON. Witnesses:

HARRY TAGGART,

J. C. HEEBSH. 

